Biomedical research on incapacitated people according to French law.

In France, a law concerning biomedical research came into operation on 20 December 1988. This law is called loi Huriet after the senator who chaired the investigation committee. This law provides rules to be applied when research is conducted on incapacitated people. Different rules apply depending on whether the person concerned is an adult or not and whether he or she will benefit directly from the research. This law, and the law of 3 January 1968 concerning adult incapacitated persons, are discussed and their deficiencies are highlighted. Recommendations for improvements are made by the authors.